According to the survey, conducted last Monday through Wednesday, 40% say the President can manage the government effectively. That 40% figure is down 12 percentage points from June and is the worst score Obama received among the nine personal characteristics tested in the new poll.

"A lot of attention has focused on the President's numbers on honesty in new polling the past three weeks, but it looks like the recent controversy over Obamacare has had a bigger impact on his status as an effective manager of the government, and that may be what is really driving the drop in Obama's approval rating this fall," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said.

Does being an effective manager count more than honesty?

"Just ask Bill Clinton, whose overall approval ratings remained high during and after the Monica Lewinsky scandal because three-quarters of all Americans thought he could get things done, even though only about one in five said he was honest," Holland added.

Obama's woes are not limited to honesty and his managerial skills. Fifty-six percent say he is not a person they admire, and an equal number say he does not agree with them on important issues. Fifty-six percent also say he does not inspire confidence, and 53% don't view him as a strong and decisive leader. All of those figures are all-time records for Obama in CNN polling.

There is a silver lining in the poll for the President: He's still seen as someone who cares about ordinary Americans, six in 10 say he has a vision for the country's future, and seven in 10 say he is likable–his best attribute of the nine items tested in this poll. But the numbers are down for both admiration and likeability.

"It's clear that views of Obama as a person - once his strong suit - have taken a hit in October and throughout 2013," said Holland.

The poll was conducted November 18-20 for CNN by ORC International, with 843 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

soundoff(676 Responses)

Don't trust polls? LOL all you have to do is ask around or look at the Forums.

CNN is proObama and Proliberal agenda but there is only so far you can follow Obama without loosing all credibility yourself.

Obama promised so much and he's delivered almost nothing. He didn't close our prison in Cuba which he claimed was a civil rights violation. Instead he oversaw the largest Spy Network ever built on the Planet Earth, then he got caught doing it. I have to wonder how else this super network was used? I mean besides causing America even further embarrassment in the World? North Korea could have done a better job of spying without getting caught. if your going to abuse your friends then you should make sure you don't get caught. What has Obama been able to do that he didn't walk away from looking embarrassed and dishonest?

I'm not saying anyone should abuse their power, yet we know it happens. In most cases it isn't so massively done that it can not possibly be concealed or done so poorly it can not possibly be concealed. I think this covers the only two options?

November 25, 2013 10:46 am at 10:46 am |

Frank

To those asking whey 47% still love Obama, its real simple.

Thats the 47% on WELFARE AND FOOD STAMPS. Ya know, the people not paying any income tax and get back a refund, and living free without having to work, generation after generation. That's who. And also, these 47% percent would vote for JOSEPH KONY, the international mass murderer who is black if he was the only black man on the ballot.

November 25, 2013 10:46 am at 10:46 am |

Me

Mel Stricker

And how many of the 53% believe this just because President Obama is black or just because he is a Democrat and the person being polled is a Republican.
____________
And how many of the 47% that do trust him do so just because of the same reason you listed above??? Probably the majority!

November 25, 2013 10:48 am at 10:48 am |

Stevel

I guess the good news would be that at this point in his presidency, George Bush's approval rating was the same or lower.

November 25, 2013 10:48 am at 10:48 am |

Wilbur Burlap

Given the lack of real-life, real-world experience the POTUS had prior to coming to office in 2008, it is surprising that most appear to only be learning now that the POTUS is struggling to manage a real issue like ACA. One can't create additional committees or appoint enough "czars" to fix this one. Time to roll up the sleeves and get your hands dirty. Even common sense didn't prevail – imagine how the ACA rollout might have differed, had the POTUS been required to purchase thru the website for the first family. It's hard to truthfully sell to an audience exactly how tasty the home cooking is when you haven't tried it yourself.

Interesting poll results too. Just as sports teams have fair weather fans, apparently, so does the POTUS. Like roaches scrambling when you flick on the light. Didn't seem to take a lot, but surprised it took this long.

November 25, 2013 10:48 am at 10:48 am |

DickPerry

Most people on this planet don't trust americans..

November 25, 2013 10:48 am at 10:48 am |

rufusvondufus

Seriously, how could anyone ever trust this pos liar? He lied to America about the ACA, F&F, Benghazi, the IRS, ACORN and now he and Pasty Kerry are lying about what a great deal Iran gave the world. It will be very interesting to see how advanced Iran can get in six months. They did nothing to merit lifting of any sanctions but nevertheless we are going to do just that. No wonder they are celebrating in the streets of Tehran–Kerry was bamboozled again!

November 25, 2013 10:49 am at 10:49 am |

GD

It's unbelievable that 40% still support him. Is there anything between their ears?

November 25, 2013 10:49 am at 10:49 am |

Frank

That's the 47% on WELFARE AND FOOD STAMPS. Ya know, the people not paying any income tax and get back a refund, and living free without having to work, generation after generation. That's who.

November 25, 2013 10:49 am at 10:49 am |

Anthony Talbert

Wow! You know Mr. Obama is in REAL trouble when CNN prints something like this. I guess their "Of Course Presidents Lie" piece is not rehabilitating Mr. Obama as hoped.

Too bad they didn't include Mr. Obama's comment in Seattle: "I'm not a particularly ideological person,"

It sure gave my wife and I a good laugh this morning :-)

November 25, 2013 10:50 am at 10:50 am |

skarphace

Obama made two main mistakes concerning the rollout of the ACA and he is now paying for them.

1) He made a promise that he should have known that he could not keep, at least phrased as it was (which is still no excuse because as a politician you have to realize that any quote you make will be used against you). He said, "If you like your existing health care policy, you can keep it." However, he had to have known that some policies would not meet the minimum ACA standard. In addition, he has no control over what policies insurance agencies and employers keep. Any time an employer uses a different policy, the ACA will now be blamed for the change in policy to employees, thanks to the quote from Obama.

2) He did not treat the ACA as a career-defining project. He gave it a very hands-off approach (or so it seems), and this was a grave mistake. If I was working on a career-defining project, I would have been in contact with the developers and managers every single step of the way. There is absolutely no way I would have been caught off guard by large problems due to traffic and security issues as Obama seemed to be. There is no way I would have allowed a change in requirements to happen a week before launch, as with happened with the ACA. I would have treated it with a hands-on approach, not micromanaging, but quite close to it.

These two mistakes may define the Obama presidency, unfortunately.

November 25, 2013 10:50 am at 10:50 am |

Kenman

I see that my comment from 15 minutes ago is still "awaiting moderation", so I don't know if THIS ONE will be posted either!

But, I wonder why they have the headline "Is 'knockout game' even real" for a video that shows that it clearly is, BUT OFFERS NO OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON IT!

November 25, 2013 10:50 am at 10:50 am |

RC

How can anyone trust a liar? He didn't just lie one time; he even lied after he knew he lied.

November 25, 2013 10:50 am at 10:50 am |

Paul

Any current poll will show that anyone connected to Washington will score low. Did they include questions about Congress? I actually blame Republicans for jumping from one crisis to another in order to take down the president. Instead of spending all your time on "scandals" how about working on significant items like immigration, jobs, infrastructure, etc. This congress has been a complete failure.

November 25, 2013 10:50 am at 10:50 am |

ilovewhiners

Could we have a poll about what Americans think about polls?

November 25, 2013 10:52 am at 10:52 am |

Neal

The disgusting cold heartless Repukes have a much lower approval rating!

Oh BS 2012 election should tell you these polls are not reality.Obama is doing a great job

November 25, 2013 10:53 am at 10:53 am |

jack

this country elected bush twice because they thought he would be a great guy to have a beer with why would anyone really care what they think about anything

November 25, 2013 10:53 am at 10:53 am |

just asking

Arun - Is this Faux noise or CNN??
-–

and still the diehard koolaide drinkers are in deep denial. yes, we know... if only the cable news networks would simply stop reporting on alll of obama's lies and failures then everything would just be fine. serously, isn't your head rather uncomfortable buried that deep in the sand?

November 25, 2013 10:53 am at 10:53 am |

Tell the Truth

I see all the paid liberals are out in force making feeble attempts to defend the indefensible!

Whine, snivel, drone that the REPUBLICANS are the reason Obama as a PERSON; A LEADER and a MANAGER are at rock bottom!

Wow! How predictable. Phtttt!.

November 25, 2013 10:53 am at 10:53 am |

lauradet

I trust Obama. I was not asked to take the poll, is it too late to add my opinion?

November 25, 2013 10:53 am at 10:53 am |

TSB8C

Lied about Benghazi and still withholding info. Lied about Fast and Furious and still withholding info. Lied about IRS. Lied about ACA. Libya is a failure. Egypt is a failure. ACA is a failure. He refused to negotiate with Repubs on changes such as mandate extensions and then later implemented them on his own against the law. No plan in Syria. This new Iran deal is 5 years too late and way too little. Got played by Putin and now by Iran themselves. Debt at all time high. Once he stopped blaming Bush he started blaming his own appointees for not keeping him informed well enough. He has proven his dishonesty and his incompetence. Just a huge joke and mistake.

November 25, 2013 10:54 am at 10:54 am |

MJ

Obama is leading us into a submissive society where he will rule over us as a dictator. He is already doing it with obamacare (notice they are no longer calling it that). Little by little, he is chipping at the Constitution as if it doesn't exist. He is beholden to no one.